Westlife

Senior People's Forum

West Lothian Senior People's Forum provides an opportunity for the Council and local senior people to act in partnership in reviewing and addressing future challenges.

West Lothian Senior People's Forum was launched in November 2009 with over 50 older people from throughout West Lothian in attendance. The purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for the Council and local senior people to act in partnership in reviewing and addressing future challenges.

In particular, the forum will:

seek to identify and harness the experience, opinions and desires of senior people offering them an opportunity to express their views on a wide range of issues

enable communication to be established and maintained between local senior people, the Council and its community planning partners

enable the Council to consult senior people on its approach in developing local responses to the Scottish Strategy for an Ageing Population

help support organisations which represent senior people

Danny Logue is Chair of the Senior People's Forum with Jim Dixon as Vice Chair.

Next meeting: The next meeting of the Senior Peoples Forum is on the 21 of March 2017 in Space 3 in the Howden Park Centre. Tea & Coffee is available from 1-1.30pm with the Forum Meeting taking place from 1.30pm - 4pm.

Senior people and organisations which have an interest or who represent senior people are invited to attend and contribute to the discussions. Please email any suggestions for inclusion to seniorpeoplesforum@westlothian.gov.uk

Dementia Cafes

Thanks to the Challenge Fund, work is now taking place to support the development of up to nine dementia cafes throughout West Lothian. These cafes are being developed to be of benefit to those living in the community with dementia as well as their carers.

Each cafe is likely to be slightly different, however all have the same purpose in mind which is to provide an opportunity for those with dementia, and their carer where they have one, to come along, relax, socialise and, if they wish, participate in activities and entertainment as well as access information, support and advice.

So, whether you want to attend for a few hours or just drop in for a coffee and a chat with someone it is worth going along to check out what's on offer at your nearest dementia cafe.

A leaflet detailing dates, times and locations for all of the cafes is available in the 'Related Documents' section on this page.

For further details on any of the cafes, please contact Sally Stockbridge at Alzheimer Scotland - 01506 533112 or email sstockbridge@alzscot.org.

New service for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender older people in West Lothian

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Centre for Health and Wellbeing have recently launched a new service aimed specifically at supporting those over 50 years of age, including offering:

Social opportunities, outings and events to improve social networks

A volunteer befriending service scheme providing one to one support

An information service covering a range of topics, including mainstream support and services, housing and legal matters

An advocacy service to offer individuals support in dealing with issues such as accessing health and social care services or challenging discrimination.

This service is available at no cost to any older person living within West Lothian. For further information or if you have any questions relating to this service contact Garry McGregor on 0131 523 1107 or alternatively email at garry@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Improved Access to Insurance for Older People

It is now easier for older people to get motor and travel insurance because of an agreement between the Association of British Insurers, the Government and the British Insurance Brokers Association.

As of 6th of April 2012, if an insurer or broker is unable to offer cover to an older motorist or traveller due to their age being above the limit they have cover for, they will automatically refer them to another provider who can meet their needs or to a dedicated signposting service such as the "Find a Broker" service.